KR101138432B1 - Plant culturing base body and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a plant cultivation base body having a water absorption, shape retention, flexibility and the like necessary for the cultivation of plants, and a method for producing the same, specifically, formed by reacting at least a water-retaining filler, water and a urethane prepolymer, and a polyol. Provided is a plant cultivation base body and a method of producing the same.

Plant cultivation base body, cultivation container, water container, cultivation tool, plant, water retaining filler, water, urethane prepolymer, polyol.

Description

Plant cultivation base body and manufacturing method {PLANT CULTURING BASE BODY AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to an artificial plant cultivation base body which can be used for cultivating a plant by wrapping the root of the plant as a substitute for a conventional soil, and a manufacturing method thereof.

As a manufacturing method of such a plant cultivation base main body, what disperse | distributed the small amount of urethane prepolymer in water or a solvent is mixed, reacted, and hardened | cured conventionally with respect to water-retaining fillers, such as a buck compost and rice hull compost. Various methods are known, such as the manufacturing method, the water retention filler, water, and the method of reacting and hardening the suspension containing a urethane prepolymer (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 56-18165 and Japan). See Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-20221).

In addition, a method is known in which a water-retaining filler and a urethane prepolymer are mixed in advance, and a small amount of water is added to the mixture to react and cure it (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-165520).

However, in the manufacturing method known conventionally, including the method of the said Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 56-18165, the Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2-20221, and the Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2002-165520, surfactant is conventionally known. Aside from a small amount of various additives, the main chemicals mixed in the water-retaining filler are mainly limited to urethane prepolymers, and thus, a base body which is not necessarily satisfactory for plant cultivation can be produced. have.

That is, the plant cultivation base body is required to maintain shape from the viewpoint of ease of handling, and to have adequate absorption (resilience) to maintain adequate water absorption and proper air to prevent decay of the root of the plant and achieve good growth. Is also needed. There is also a need for a hardness suitable for the plant's roots to fully elongate. In the conventional manufacturing method, it was difficult to manufacture a plant cultivation base body that satisfies all these requirements.

For example, in the methods described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-18165, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-20221, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-165520, the upper limit of the amount of urethane prepolymer with respect to the water-retaining filler is limited. As there is, the ratio of the water retention filler of the cultivation base body to be obtained is 90-99% by weight (JP-A-56-18165), 70-99% by weight (JP-A-2-20221), 50- 85 weight% (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-165520).

One of the patent documents lists that the upper limit of the content of the urethane prepolymer is set as a reason that the plant cultivation base body itself becomes too hard, thereby increasing the extension resistance of the root of the plant and adversely affecting the growth. It's done. " On the other hand, if there are too few urethane prepolymers, there will be a problem that the shape retaining property required for the plant cultivation base main body cannot be obtained, and the filler becomes tattered or collapses when held by hand, and room for improvement remains in this regard. there was.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention focuses on such a conventional problem, and an object thereof is to provide a plant cultivation base body having a water absorption, shape retention, flexibility (resilience), and hardness necessary for cultivation of a plant, and a method for producing the same.

A first feature of the invention is a plant cultivation base body formed by at least reacting a water retaining filler, water, and a urethane prepolymer with a polyol.

The 2nd characteristic of this invention is that the ratio of the water retention filler of a dry state is 15 to 60 weight%.

A third feature of the present invention is that the polyol is a polyol containing an ester group.

A fourth aspect of the invention is a method for producing a plant cultivation base body, wherein the suspension comprises a polyol by reacting and curing a suspension comprising a water retaining filler, water, and a urethane prepolymer to produce a plant cultivation base body. It is prepared so that the ratio of the water retaining filler in a dry state may be 15 to 60 weight%, and the suspension containing this polyol is reacted and hardened and manufactured.

The 5th characteristic of this invention is that a polyol amount exists in the range of 0.1-300 weight part with respect to 100 weight part of dry water retention fillers.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the urethane preformer and the polyol are added to a first step of preparing a first suspension by stirring and mixing the water-retaining filler and water, and the first suspension prepared by the first step. It consists of a 2nd process which carries out stirring and mixing, and manufactures a 2nd suspension, and reacts and hardens the 2nd suspension manufactured by the said 2nd process, and is manufactured.

A seventh feature of the present invention resides in that the suspension is cured in a mold for molding a main body and manufactured.

An eighth feature of the present invention resides in that the upper surface of the plant cultivation base main body is cured so as to be located at the bottom of the base body molding die.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the water-retaining filler may include at least one filler selected from beet moss, coco beet, sawdust, palm pattern, rice hull, rice husk compost, buck manure, pearlite, vermiculite, and hydrophilic foamed resin pulverized product. It is to include.

A tenth feature of the present invention is a plant cultivation base body produced by the manufacturing method according to any one of the fourth to ninth features described above, wherein the water absorption is 25 to 75%, the hardness is 20 to 40N, and the restoring force is 4 to 4. It is in 10N.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a novel plant cultivation base body having water absorptivity, shape retention, flexibility (resilience), etc., which is desirable for plant cultivation, by at least reacting a water retaining filler, water, and a urethane prepolymer with a polyol. Can be obtained.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when obtaining a plant cultivation base body formed by at least reacting a water retaining filler, water, and a urethane prepolymer with a polyol, the proportion of the water retaining filler in a dry state is 15 to 60% by weight. By adjusting so that it is possible to obtain a novel plant cultivation base body having a water absorption, shape retention, flexibility (resilience), hardness, and the like, which are suitable for cultivation of plants.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by using a polyol containing an ester group as the polyol to be added, a new plant cultivation base body having a water absorptivity, shape retention, flexibility (resilience), and hardness desirable for cultivation of a plant is obtained. Can be effectively obtained.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for producing a plant cultivation base body, in which a suspension comprising a water retaining filler, water, and a urethane prepolymer is reacted and cured to produce a plant cultivation base body. A plant cultivation base body comprising a polyol and prepared in such a manner that the proportion of the water-retaining filler in a dry state is 15 to 60% by weight, having water absorption, shape retention, flexibility (resilience), and hardness necessary for plant cultivation. It becomes possible.

That is, as apparent from the experimental results described below, the inventors conducted various experiments, and as a result, when the suspension containing the water retaining filler, water, and urethane prepolymer was reacted and cured, the polyol was contained in the suspension. It has been found that a new fact is that the hardness of the plant cultivated base body to be manufactured is reduced, shape retention is improved, and water absorption is dramatically improved.

According to the new fact, various experiments were continued, for example, in order to maintain the shape retention required for the plant cultivation base body, even if the amount of urethane prepolymer for the water retaining filler is extremely high compared to the conventional method, When an appropriate amount of polyol is added, it is not too hard to inhibit the elongation of the roots, and it is also possible to secure the absorbency and the restorability, so that the plant cultivation combines the absorbency, shape retention, flexibility (resilience) and hardness suitable for the extension of the root of the plant. The base body can be obtained.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the polyol amount is in the range of 0.1 to 300 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the water-retaining filler in a dry state, in the above-described absorbency, shape retention, flexibility (resilience), and hardness, A more excellent plant cultivation base body can be reliably produced, which does not mean that the water retaining filler is dried and used as a manufacturing method, but is based on 100 parts by weight of the forcibly dried water retaining filler. It just means the amount of added.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, first, in the first step, the water-retaining filler and water are stirred and mixed to prepare a first suspension. In the first suspension, the water-retaining filler has a sufficient amount of water. Holds.

In the second step, the urethane prepolymer and the polyol are added to the first suspension, stirred and mixed to prepare a second suspension, and then the second suspension is reacted and cured, so that the water around the water-retaining filler is cured. By contributing, the structure of the plant cultivation base body can be uniformized to produce a plant cultivation base body having almost uniform absorption, shape retention, flexibility (resilience), and hardness required for plant cultivation.

According to the 7th aspect of this invention, since a suspension is hardened and manufactured in the base body shaping | molding die, the plant cultivation base main body of a desired shape can be manufactured easily.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the top surface of the plant cultivation base body is hardened to be located at the bottom of the mold for forming the base body, the top surface of the plant cultivation base body is finished aesthetically, for example, for ornamental purposes. When the plant cultivation base body is stored and used in a cultivation container for cultivating plants, a noticeable upper surface of a person becomes aesthetically pleasing, and the product value is improved, and when a cutting portion for transplantation is formed on the upper surface of the plant cultivation base body, A cut part can be formed easily.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the water-retaining filler comprises at least one filler selected from beet moss, coco beet, sawdust, palm pattern, rice hull, rice hull compost, buck manure, pearlite, vermiculite, and hydrophilic foamed resin pulverized products. Since it contains, it is possible to secure the absorbency necessary for the cultivation of the plant, it is appropriately selected according to the type of plant to be cultivated or the like, or by selecting a plurality of kinds from the fillers included in the group and mixing at an appropriate ratio, The cost of manufacturing can be reduced while maintaining the water absorption necessary for the target plant.

According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plant cultivation base body produced by the manufacturing method according to any one of the fourth to ninth aspects, wherein the water absorption is 25 to 75%, the hardness is 20 to 40N, and the restoring force is 4. Since it is -10 N, it becomes a plant cultivation base main body excellent in all the water absorption, shape retention, flexibility (resilience), and hardness which were mentioned above.

1 is a perspective view of an incubation apparatus using a plant cultivation base body.

2 is a cross-sectional view of an aquaculture cultivation apparatus using a plant cultivation base body.

3 is a table showing the experimental results of the plant cultivation base body.

4 is a table showing the experimental results of the plant cultivation base body.

A plant cultivation base body and a method for producing the same according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings and experimental results.

This plant cultivation base main body can be used for the cultivation apparatus which grows, for example, while cultivating a cultivation container in water, The floating culture apparatus is a plant cultivation base main body 1 as shown to FIG. Plant cultivation base body, comprising: a cultivation container (2) for storing the cultivation container (2), a water storage container (3) for storing the cultivation water (W), and a cultivation tool (4) for maintaining the support posture of the cultivation container (2). The plant (P) planted in (1) is raised.

The cultivation container 2 is formed so as to form a cylindrical shape having a bottom portion by, for example, a hollow resin or the like having a specific gravity smaller than water so as to float near the water surface of the stored water W, In the vicinity of the center of the bottom, a submerged hole 2a is formed to substantially penetrate in the vertical direction.

The cultivation tool 4 is for maintaining the attitude | position of the cultivation container 2 shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, even if the plant P grows and a center moves upwards, In other words, the conduction of the plant P (顚 倒) is to prevent. From the upper edge part of the cultivation tool 4, four holding | maintenance holding parts 4a in total protrude outwardly and obliquely upwards. When the cultivation tool 4 is mounted to be stored in the water storage container 3, these catches 4a are caught by the opening edge of the water storage container 3 so that the cultivation tool 4 is positioned such that its upper edge portion is substantially horizontal. It is maintained and a space for receiving water W is formed between the bottom face of the cultivation tool 4 and the bottom face of the water storage container 3. In the circumference and bottom of the cultivation tool 4, the hole 4b which allows passage of water W is formed. On one of the locking portions 4a, a display tool 6 for displaying the variety name of the plant P and the like is mounted via the chain 5.

According to this floating culture device, by supplying the cultivation container 2 to the stored water W, the stored water W is always supplied to the plant cultivation base main body 1 through the submerged hole 2a, and the plant cultivation is carried out. Promotes the growth of the plant (P) planted in the base body (1). As the plant P grows and the mass increases, the amount of settlement of the cultivation vessel 2 with respect to the stored water W increases, so that more water W can be supplied to the plant cultivation base body 1, As a result, it is comprised so that the plant P may be raised by always supplying the quantity of water W suitable for the growth rate of the plant P at that time.

Since the cultivation tool 4 correctly maintains the posture of the cultivation container 2 supported by the water W, even if the plant P grows and the center moves upwards or sideways, the support posture of the cultivation container 2 is maintained. It remains stable and the conduction of the plant P is prevented.

The plant cultivation base body 1 according to the present invention is produced by curing a suspension containing a water retaining filler, water, and a urethane prepolymer, but its characteristic is that the suspension contains a polyol.

The plant cultivation base body of the present invention is a plant cultivation base body having at least a water-retaining filler, water, and a urethane-free polymer and a polyol, and having a proportion of the water-retaining filler in a dry state of 15 to 60% by weight.

The ratio of the water-retaining filler is a value calculated by the following formula (all added parts in the formula are parts by weight) that do not include the weight of water to be added to the denominator. In this embodiment, the ratio of the water-retaining filler in the hydrous state based on the water-retaining filler in the state of naturally containing water, and the dry state based on the water-retaining filler after forcibly dehydrated Both of the ratios of the water retaining filler are calculated. In the production of the actual plant cultivation base body 1, a water-retaining filler in a naturally functioning state delivered from a supplier is used.

% Of water-retaining filler = {water-retaining filler addition / (water-retaining filler addition + urethane prepolymer addition + polyol addition)} x 100 ....... Formula (1)

In the present invention, by adding a polyol, the hardness of the obtained plant cultivation base body can be reduced, shape retention can be improved, and water absorption can be dramatically improved.

By calculating the ratio of the water-retaining filler of the plant-cultivated base body based on the water-retaining filler in the dry state and setting it as 15 to 60% by weight, the appropriate flexibility (resilience), hardness, and shape intended for the present invention. The plant cultivation base body which combines oil-retaining property and water absorption can be manufactured.

In other words, when the proportion of the water-retaining filler in the dry state is less than 15% by weight, the water-retaining filler is relatively small, so that a large amount of polyol is required to increase the absorbency, or the polyurethane foam specific This is because elasticity (resilience) becomes strong. Moreover, when it exceeds 60 weight%, shape retention will deteriorate and it will become difficult to achieve the objective of this application.

As the kind of water-retaining filler, any material capable of retaining moisture in a state easily absorbed by the root of the plant P can be used. For example, beet moss, coco beet, sawdust, palm pattern, rice husk, rice husk compost , Consisting of vegetable fibres, such as buck manure, moss, coffee grounds, rock wool, minerals such as perlite (pearlite), vermiculite (vermiculite), and hydrophilic foamed resins One or a plurality of fillers selected from grooves containing pulverized products can be used.

Among these fillers, beet moss, coco beet, and sawdust, in particular, have excellent water retention, have a relatively low bulk density, have good dispersibility, and obtain a uniform structure when foamed. It is preferable to use one or a plurality of fillers selected from palm pattern, rice husk, rice husk compost, buck manure, pearlite, vermiculite, and hydrophilic foamed resin pulverized product.

A urethane prepolymer is a urethane prepolymer which has an isocyanate group at the terminal, and is specifically, the compound obtained by making an isocyanate compound and polyol react.

As an isocyanate compound, toluene diisocyanate is preferable from a viewpoint of the handling according to a viscosity.

As a polyol, in order to improve the reactivity with the water of a urethane prepolymer, it is preferable that content of ethylene oxide is relatively high. Moreover, it is also possible to select and mix 2 or more types of polyol from which molecular weight, the number of functional groups, or content of ethylene oxide differ. However, since there is a possibility that the water absorption of the plant cultivation base body may decrease, a polyol having a hydrophobic group is not preferable.

As a method of manufacturing the plant cultivation base body according to the present invention, there are the following first to third methods, for example.

(First method)

After dispersing the urethane prepolymer in water, the water-retaining filler and the polyol are mixed and cured.

(2nd method)

After stirring and mixing a water retention filler and a urethane prepolymer, water and a polyol are mixed and hardened | cured.

(Third method)

A method of preparing a suspension by mixing and stirring the water retaining filler and water, and curing the mixture by curing the urethane prepolymer and the polyol in the suspension.

According to the first method, the amount of water or the degree of activity of the urethane prepolymer becomes a grass shape, and since it becomes difficult to uniformly mix with the water-retaining filler, the urethane prepolymer to be used tends to be limited.

The second method requires a special stirrer to mix the water-retaining filler and the urethane prepolymer, and the periphery of the water-retaining filler is all covered with the resin, and there is a possibility that the roots of the plant cannot grow so hard.

The third method has no problem in the first and second methods and can be said to be the most preferable method from that point.

That is, the characteristic of the 3rd method is the 1st process of manufacturing a 1st suspension by stirring-mixing a water retention filler and water, and adding a urethane prepolymer and a polyol to the 1st suspension manufactured by the 1st process, It consists of a 2nd process of stirring and mixing and manufacturing a 2nd suspension, and is a point which hardens and manufactures the 2nd suspension manufactured by the 2nd process.

According to this third method, in the first step, the water retaining filler is soaked in water to hold a sufficient amount of water. In the second step, since the urethane prepolymer and the polyol are added to the first suspension obtained in the first step and stirred and mixed, water and the urethane prepolymer around the water-retaining filler react with each other, so that the structure of the plant cultivation base body is In addition to homogenization, the addition of polyols makes it possible to produce a plant cultivation base body having absorbency and shape retention, flexibility (resilience) and hardness required for plant cultivation.

In the case where the amount of polyol added is large, the polyol may be added to the first suspension first, stirred and mixed to form a second suspension, and then urethane prepolymer may be added and stirred and mixed.

Even in the case of employing any one of the first to third methods described above, it is finally cured by a slab method or a mold method to produce a plant cultivation base body.

The slab method is a large block (slab) shape that is long and continuous in a wide and thick plate shape. The slab method is a method of reacting and hardening. The block obtained by curing is cut into a predetermined shape to produce a plant cultivation base body.

The mold system is a method for reacting and curing in the mold using a base body molding mold consisting only of a lower mold or a base body molding mold composed of a lower mold and an upper mold. The mold method is advantageous compared to the slab method because it hardly needs to be cut after curing, and there is no fear that the water-retaining filler will collapse and fall from the cutting surface at the time of cutting.

Moreover, when employ | adopting a mold system, it is preferable to harden so that the upper surface side of a plant cultivation base main body may be located in the lower surface side of a lower mold | type.

That is, when using the base body shaping | molding die which consists only of a lower mold | type, the film-form hardened layer called a skin is formed above the plant cultivation base main body obtained by hardening, and the base body shaping | molding die which consists of a lower mold and an upper mold is used. In a case, a part of raw material flows out and hardens | cures with a reaction gas from the gas discharge hole provided in the upper mold | type. Therefore, even when either type of mold is used, the upper surface side is hard to be finished in aesthetically pleasing and smooth surface.

On the other hand, since the bottom side is finished in aesthetically pleasing and smooth surface even when using any type of mold, the top surface of the plant cultivation base body is placed on the bottom side of the lower mold and cured so that the top surface of the plant cultivation base body is aesthetically pleasing. Good finish can improve the value of the product. In addition, when the upper surface side of the plant cultivation base body is cured so as to be located at the bottom side of the lower mold, even when a cut portion for plant transplantation is formed on the upper surface of the completed plant cultivation base body, no skin is formed on the upper surface of the plant cultivation base body. The cutout portion can be formed easily and satisfactorily.

Next, the mixing ratio of urethane prepolymer or polyol to water retaining filler is mentioned.

As a result of various experiments, the amount of the urethane prepolymer added is 50 to 300 parts by weight relative to 100 parts by weight of the water-retaining filler in the dry state in a range in which the proportion of the water-retaining filler in the dry state is 15 to 60% by weight. It turned out that it is preferable to add to the extent. In particular, it was found that it is preferable to select a urethane prepolymer having a reactivity to complete the reaction and curing within 30 minutes after the addition, and use it in an amount of about 120 to 200 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of the water-retaining filler in a dry state. It became.

If the urethane prepolymer is less than 50 parts by weight, the plant cultivation base body is likely to collapse, resulting in poor shape retention. When the urethane prepolymer exceeds 300 parts by weight, the proportion of the water-retaining filler is relatively reduced, so that the absorbency of the cultivated base body obtained is poor. In addition, when the urethane prepolymer exceeds 300 parts by weight, the strength of the resin becomes strong, or the elasticity of the urethane foam becomes high, and the elasticity of the urethane foam makes it difficult to grow the roots of the plant and to obtain good growth results.

Regarding the addition amount of the polyol, the range of 0.1 to 300 parts by weight is preferable with respect to 100 parts by weight of the water-retaining filler in a dry state. If it exists in this range, the water absorption of a plant cultivation base main body can be freely controlled. And when the addition amount of polyol is less than 0.1 weight part, the increase of water absorption is not expected, and when it exceeds 300 weight part, it turned out that water absorption hardly changes even if it adds more.

Although the addition amount of water is not specifically limited, The range of 80-2000 weight part is preferable with respect to 100 weight part of dry water-retaining fillers, Especially preferably, it is 300-1500 weight part.

Here, although the addition amount of a urethane prepolymer, a polyol, and water was mentioned as a reference amount with respect to 100 weight part of dry water retention fillers, it is as mentioned above that it does not mean to dry and use a water retention filler as a manufacturing method. .

It is also possible to use the conventionally well-known additive used for manufacture of urethane foams, such as fillers other than a water retention filler, for example, a fertilizer, an antibacterial agent, a pigment, a foam stabilizer, surfactant, etc. using the manufacturing method of this invention.

About the physical property of the plant cultivation base main body manufactured by such a manufacturing method by this invention, the result of examination performed from various aspects is mentioned.

As mentioned above, the water absorption of the plant cultivation base body of the present invention is increased in proportion to the amount of polyol added. That is, if the amount of addition of other raw materials is made constant and only the amount of polyol is added, the value of the water absorption can be freely adjusted. By selecting the value of this water absorption rate, it is possible to easily correspond from the plant cultivation base body for a conventional cultivation method to the plant cultivation base body for a special cultivation method such as hydroponic cultivation.

As a standard of a water absorption rate, it is good to use the thing whose water absorption is 50%-75% in a normal cultivation method, and it is good to use what is 25%-55% in a special cultivation method like hydroponic cultivation.

That is, according to the present invention, the water absorption rate of the plant cultivation base body can be freely controlled only by changing the addition amount of the polyol, so that the plant cultivation base body having an appropriate water absorption rate can be easily manufactured according to the plant to be cultivated. have.

About the hardness which a plant cultivation base main body has, the range of 20-40 N is suitable, and the range of 4-10 N is suitable about a restoring force. The restoring force is a force that the plant cultivation base body removes so as to zero the load received.

In other words, as the plant grows, the roots grow, and finally, the containers such as bowls are filled with roots. At that time, if the so-called friability is large, that is, the plant cultivation base body having high irreversible compression characteristics, the root presses the cultivation base body itself, and the porous space serving as the air supply is lost.

Therefore, the plant cultivation base body preferably has some restoring force (4N or more), and if it exceeds 10N, even if the root is about to be wound, the rooting force is removed to prevent the good growth. Scope i am appropriate.

Next, a part of various experiments performed for confirming the effect of the present invention will be described.

The table of FIG. 3 shows the evaluation result of the sample (Comparative Examples 1-7) of the plant cultivation base body manufactured without adding a polyol, including the method known conventionally, The table of FIG. The evaluation result of the sample (Examples 1-10) of the plant cultivation base main body manufactured by the method which followed is shown.

The following raw material was used for manufacture of the sample of an Example and a comparative example.

As the water-retaining filler, the water content measured by Bit Moss (trade name: Trubson (fine particle) manufactured by Samsung C & T Corporation), an electronic moisture meter (Model No .: MC-30MB manufactured by Jang Instrument Co., Ltd.) is about 40 weight. %) Was used.

As the urethane prepolymer, 1000 g of a polyol (trade name: Mitsui Takeda Chemical Co., Ltd. product: Actcol EP-505S) having a molecular weight of about 3400 obtained by random addition polymerization of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide at a ratio of 60/40 to glycerin and isocyanate ( 11% to 13% of isocyanate groups (NCO) obtained by reacting 525 g of Coronet T-80) with 2 hours at 80 ± 2 ° C. under nitrogen stream in four flasks. Phosphorus urethane prepolymer was used.

As the polyester polyol, a mixture of a polyester-modified polyether polyol and a polyether polyol (trade name: Actcol 3p56b manufactured by Mitsui Takeda Chemical Co., Ltd.) was used.

As a polyether polyol, Mitsui Takeda Chemical Co., Ltd. brand name: Actcol MN3050S was used.

Samples of Examples and Comparative Examples were prepared by the following method in accordance with the formulation formulation shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. 3 and 4 show a compounding amount when the water-retaining filler in a water-containing state is 100 parts by weight.

The first suspension was adjusted by mixing water and water retaining filler in a suitable container, followed by stirring, and then adding a urethane prepolymer and a polyol to the first suspension to further stir and mix to form a second suspension. It was poured into the mold for main body molding. After the second suspension was reacted and cured in the mold for forming the base body, the portion beyond the upper edge of the mold was cut to obtain a sample of the uniform plant cultivation base body.

The molds for gas forming differ from each other in shape and dimensions. The following three types of molds were prepared: first type, second type, and third type.

The inner surface shape of the first type shows a frustum quadrangular pyramid shape (a shape of a truncated pyramid, that is, a shape cut horizontally on the vertex side of the pyramid), the top surface of which is a rectangular shape of 4.5 cm angle, and the bottom surface of a rectangular shape of 3 cm angle It is shaped and has a height of 5 cm.

The inner surface shape of the 2nd type similarly showed the frustum square pyramid shape, the upper surface is 3.5 cm rectangular shape, the lower surface is 2.5 cm rectangular shape, and the height is 4 cm.

The inner surface shape of the 3rd type | mold shows the frustum-horn shape which becomes a diameter small as a lower end part, the upper end surface is a rectangular shape of 7 cm square, the lower end surface is a circular shape of diameter 6 cm, and the height is 6.5 cm.

The evaluation method about the sample of the plant cultivation base main body obtained by each Example and the comparative example is as follows.

For the measurement of shape retention, water absorption, hardness, and restoring force, a sample molded into a truncated frustum shape using the first mold was used.

Regarding shape retention: A sample of a plant cultivated base body (hereinafter simply referred to as a sample) collapses or a large amount of water-retaining fillers drop off from the sample by handling generally considered ×, but the sample does not collapse. The dropping of the water-retaining filler a little from (triangle | delta), the sample did not collapse, and the dropping of the water-retaining filler was not seen at all was made into (circle), and it confirmed by visual observation.

Regarding the water absorption rate: The dry weight of the dried sample is set to M1 (g) until the weight change rate is stabilized to within 1% in an oven at 80 ° C. Then, distilled water was placed in a stainless steel container having an inner dimension of 100 × 100 × 50 (mm) so that the water depth was 1 cm, the sample was placed in the container and left for 24 hours, and then the total weight M 2 (g ), And subtract M1 from M2 to determine the absorption weight (g) = (M2-Ml). When the specific gravity of water is 1, the absorption volume (cm ³ ) = (M2-Ml). The water absorption was calculated by the following formula by dividing this by the total volume of the sample (calculated based on the volume of the mold) minus the volume of the resin (calculated from M1 with the specific gravity of the sample as 1).

Absorption rate (%) = {(M2-Ml) / (total volume of sample-Ml)} × 100 ....... Formula (2)

However, for Comparative Examples 6 and 7, the absorbency was very small, and even after standing for 24 hours, water was not sucked up to the upper surface of the sample, so that water was sprayed for 30 minutes from the upper surface of the sample to measure the maximum absorption. Furthermore, after leaving for 24 hours in a container having a depth of 1 cm, the weight was measured to be M2 (g).

Hereinafter, the sample of the state fully absorbed by the method of water absorption measurement was used for the measurement of hardness and a restoring force.

About hardness: Using the apparatus for measuring the hardness of foam of JIS-K6400, the sample is placed in the center on the pedestal of the tester so that the upper surface thereof is below, and a load of 5 N (0.5 kgf) is applied using a pressure plate. The sample thickness was read to 0.1 mm, and it was made into the initial thickness. Next, the pressure plate was pressed at a speed of 300 ± 20 mm per minute by a distance equivalent to 50 ± 2.5% of the initial thickness, and after a stop, the load indicated when 20 seconds had elapsed was read to 1 N (0.lkgf), This value is referred to as hardness.

About the restoring force: Using the apparatus for measuring the hardness of foam of JIS-K6400, the sample was placed in the center on the pedestal of the tester so that the upper end faced below, and when a load of 5 N (0.5 kgf) was applied using a pressure plate. The sample thickness was read to 0.1 mm, and it was made into the initial thickness. Next, when the pressure plate was pressed at a speed of 300 ± 20 mm per minute by a distance equivalent to 50 ± 2.5% of the original thickness, the load G1 was read to 1N (0.lkgf), and 20 seconds passed after stopping. The load G2 of was read up to 1 N (0.lkgf), and the value of Gl-G2 was taken as a restoring force (the force which removes so that a sample may load zero).

Cultivation evaluation is the conventional cultivation method which performs watering once or twice a day with respect to each comparative example and an Example, and the hydroponic cultivation method cultivated in the cultivation container whose water depth was always maintained at 0.5-1 cm. It was done. As a sample, the thing molded in truncated truncated cone shape using the said 2nd type is used, The cultivation evaluation is cultivating petunia of the substantially same growth state to the sample of each plant cultivation base main body, and for a fixed period (for 1-3 months) After cultivation, it carried out by the pure weight of the plant (plant weight of the ground part immediately after a basement cutting).

When the sample with the best growth of the plant, that is, the sample with the greatest net weight of the plant after a predetermined cultivation period has elapsed, was evaluated as ◎, and when the pure weight obtained from the sample to which the ◎ was given was 100, 80 The sample which obtained the pure weight equivalent to -100 was evaluated by (circle), and similarly, the sample which obtained only the pure weight equivalent to (triangle | delta) and less than 50 was evaluated for the sample which obtained the pure weight equivalent to 50-80 as x.

As a result, in the normal cultivation method, Example 1 and Example 7 were the most favorable growth, and the growth of Example 2 and Example 8 was good. In hydroponic cultivation, Example 4 and Example 5 had the most favorable growth, and the growth of Example 2, Example 3, and Example 6 was favorable.

In the sample of the above-mentioned dimensions of the example 4 (shape antlers), barbena, trenia, hookia, infaciens, rose, viola, barkova, pratia, linaria, loberia, begonias, nemesia, Poinsettia, Cyclamen, Karenkoe, Sedam, Murenbekia, Peperomia, Orizurran, Lisimakia, Tradiscancia, Hedera, Frectransas, Corius, Pmira, Virrea, Hippoestes, Hartkazra , Greenneckles, Copper, Senseria, Curesone, Mint, Basil, Chamomile, Lavender, and hydroponic cultivation for 1 to 3 months, all plants showed good growth results.

In addition, when the petunia cultivated in the sample of Example 4 molded into a predetermined frustum horn shape using the third type was hydroponicly grown for one month, it was recognized that the roots were uniformly stretched, and showed good growth.

The table of FIG. 3 is a result of verifying whether the ratio of a urethane prepolymer is gradually increased on the extension line of the prior art, and whether the base main body which has suitable shape retention and water absorption rate required for plant cultivation can be obtained. From this table, it is understood that simply increasing the ratio of the urethane prepolymer with respect to the base body according to the prior art does not provide a base body having both the required shape retention and water absorption.

In the table of FIG. 4, Example 1 and Example 2 verify that what kind of difference occurs in the physical properties obtained when using a polyester polyol and when using a polyether polyol as a polyol to add. The review was conducted for the purpose of. Thereby, it is understood that polyester polyol is superior to polyether polyol in both shape retention and water absorption.

Examples 3 to 10 were examined for the purpose of fixing the amount of urethane prepolymer to 120 parts by weight and verifying the effect of the difference in the amount of water-retaining filler and polyol added to the water absorption. By Examples 4 to 10, it is understood that the water absorption increases as the amount of polyol added is increased. However, from Example 9 and Example 10, it is understood that the upper limit of the polyol addition amount is 170 weight part, and even if it increases more, the remarkable increase of water absorption cannot be expected.

In addition, the ratio of the water retaining filler calculated based on the water retaining filler in the water-containing state is also described for reference in FIGS. 3 and 4.

The invention relates to an artificial plant cultivation base body usable for cultivating a plant as a substitute for soil, and to a method for producing the same, wherein at least a water-retaining filler, water, and a urethane prepolymer and a polyol are reacted. The ratio of the water-retaining filler in the dry state is 15 to 60% by weight, characterized in that the plant cultivation base body having a water absorption, shape retention, flexibility (resilience), and hardness necessary for the cultivation of plants, and a manufacturing method thereof This is provided.

Claims (10)

A plant-cultivated base body formed by at least reacting a water retaining filler, water, and a urethane prepolymer with a polyol. The method of claim 1, A plant-cultivated base body, wherein the proportion of the water-retaining filler in a dry state is 15 to 60% by weight. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The plant cultivation base body, wherein the polyol is a polyol containing an ester group. A process for producing a plant cultivation base body for producing a plant cultivation base body by reacting and curing a suspension comprising a water retaining filler, water, and a urethane prepolymer, Wherein the suspension comprises a polyol, and the proportion of the water-retaining filler in a dry state is 15 to 60% by weight, and the suspension containing the polyol is prepared by reacting and curing. Manufacturing method. 5. The method of claim 4, The amount of polyol is in the range of 0.1-300 weight part with respect to 100 weight part of dry water retention fillers, The manufacturing method of the plant cultivation base main body characterized by the above-mentioned. The method according to claim 4 or 5, A first step of preparing a first suspension by stirring and mixing the water-retaining filler and water, and adding the urethane prepolymer and a polyol to the first suspension prepared by the first step to stir-mix a second suspension. A method for producing a plant cultivation base body, comprising a second step of producing and reacting and curing the second suspension prepared by the second step. The method according to claim 4 or 5, A method for producing a plant cultivation base body, characterized in that the suspension is produced by reacting and curing in a mold for forming the plant cultivation base body. The method according to claim 4 or 5, A method for producing a plant cultivation base body, wherein the upper surface of the plant cultivation base body is reacted and cured so as to be located at the bottom of the base body molding mold. The method according to claim 4 or 5, A method for producing a plant cultivated base body comprising at least one filler selected from beet moss, coco beet, sawdust, palm pattern, rice husk, rice hull compost, buck manure, pearlite, vermiculite, and hydrophilic foam resin grounds. As a plant cultivation base main body manufactured by the manufacturing method of Claim 4 or 5, A plant cultivation base body having a water absorption of 25 to 75%, a hardness of 20 to 40N, and a restoring force of 4 to 10N.

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